Five Things You Didn’t Know Radio Could Do (Part Three)

It’s no secret that radio delivers tremendous economies of scale when you jump from a local to a national buy. It’s like bulk-buying 25-cent cans of soda instead of paying a dollar apiece in a vending machine. Using national radio networks and syndicated programs is like buying listeners by the case.

The challenge, for some, has been the prohibitive cost of air time on some of the national networks. Sure you’re “buying listeners by the case,” but the “case” is too big with some network radio spots costing upwards of $20,000 for a single airing.

For advertisers on a budget or first-timers seeking to prove the marketing channel, those numbers can be campaign killers. Small-to-mid-sized AM/FM networks are one alternative, as are syndicated programs that air nights, overnights and weekends. But many marketers who desire radio’s prime time (Monday to Friday, 6AM to 7 PM) turn to SiriusXM Satellite.

With over 25 million paid subscribers, SiriusXM reaches all of America, plus the populous lower tier of Canada. Dozens of commercial channels provide original content, from news and talk to sports and comedy. Another dozen or so simulcast the audio feed from America’s most popular cable TV networks.

Buys can be scaled from several thousand dollars per week upwards of $50,000, but an efficient and effective schedule can be assembled in the $5,000 to $15,000 range – a figure typical of a weekly buy in a market the size of Salt Lake City or Cleveland.

There are also a number of popular air personalities willing and able to lend their voice (and implied endorsement) to your brand to help jumpstart sales and brand awareness.

With SiriusXM, advertisers get the benefit of national reach on a local budget and the added bonus of reaching a higher-income audience that can afford the discretionary expense of paying for radio programming when AM/FM and so many online options exist for free. SiriusXM Radio is the ideal entry level national radio “network” waiting to help you expand your advertising into a whole new medium.

Tune in next week for another WOW in radio’s marketing arsenal, locked and loaded for 2014.

Mark Lipsky is the President and CEO of The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog “Sounding Board” by subscribing to the email or RSS links above.Visit our website TheRadioAgency.com